Deputy Foreign Minister for European Integration Olena Zerkal urged the Tribunal to bind Russia by the obligation to release the sailors and their vessels. The Russian delegation refused to participate in the hearing; however, this does not affect the legitimate nature of the Tribunal's decision.

Three Ukrainian naval vessels and 24 crew members were attacked and captured by Russian troops near the Kerch Strait, not far from the occupied Crimea. Three Ukrainian seamen were wounded in the assault. The Russian side charged the sailors with the alleged breach of the Russian maritime border. Ukraine considers this incident an act of open military aggression by the Kremlin.